I first appeared in print at the age of six, when I was runner-up in a story competition run by Gamleys toyshops. My tale, The Twins go to Fairyland, owed a huge debt to Enid Blyton!

My son and daughter are IVF twins born two years apart (he was frozen as an embryo). This will never cease to amaze me.

My first paid journalism was a piece in the Daily Telegraph about my student experiences. Read it here.

I played Lady MacBeth two weeks after getting married. (A hectic summer!)

At university I attended creative writing classes run by a little known local author called Philip Pullman, who went on to enjoy global success with his Northern Lights trilogy.

When not writing and editing, I've worked as a nursing home care assistant, cleaner, cook, receptionist, holiday camp entertainer and teacher of English as a foreign language - the latter two in northern France.

I'm married to the illustrator and author Garen Ewing. We met when I went to see his band play, to celebrate the end of my mock-GCSEs.